RISE TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCES THE mP6™ MICROPROCESSOR FOR THE BASIC PC DESKTOP AND NOTEBOOK COMPUTER MARKETS
San Jose, California, October 13, 1998 - Rise Technology Company today unveiled at Microprocessor Forum the mP6™ family of microprocessors, the industry's first microprocessor designed from the ground up to meet the needs of the Basic PC market. Rise Technology demonstrated a number of Windows-based multimedia applications running on the mP6 microprocessor. Through its innovative design, the mP6 microprocessor is able to provide superior multimedia capabilities that were previously only available in expensive high-end performance PC's. In addition, the microprocessor's low power consumption makes it ideal for portable applications as well as Basic PC desktop systems.
Today's Basic PC products typically feature adequate performance on business applications, but force consumers to live with substantial tradeoffs such as inferior 3D graphics and poor soft DVD quality. In fact, this limits the functionality of home PCs in precisely the areas where Basic PC purchasers are most interested in using a computer - interactive education, entertainment, digital imaging, and other consumer-oriented applications. Rise Technology specifically designed the mP6 microprocessor to fit these needs. "Rise Technology exists to fill a strong need in the Basic PC market. The mP6 based platforms allow OEMs to provide more value and features at a lower cost than performance PCs." states David T. Lin, Chairman and CEO of Rise Technology. "Consumers are seeking the right price and performance for entertainment as well as Microsoft Office and internet applications, while cost-conscious businesses demand an inexpensive, yet balanced CPU for desktop and notebook PCs." The mP6 architecture features a 3-way superscalar design, a pipelined FPU, and 3-way superscalar MMXÔ technology which makes the mP6 much more efficient than other microprocessors running applications such as soft DVD playback, soft-modem, and 3D graphics. Unlike other x86 vendors, Rise Technology has built power management into the mP6 core from the start, with special circuitry specifically designed to minimize power consumption without the user's intervention. This enables the mP6 to fit well within the power consumption budget for notebook computers. In essence, the mP6 microprocessor enables Basic PC consumers to view video images over the internet, play 3D games, view DVD movies, and use other multimedia applications such as interactive learning CDs, videoconferencing and video-enhanced email, while simultaneously extending the battery-life of notebook computers. "The so-called Basic PC is set to explode in volume, incarnated as sub-$700 desktops and sub-$1,000 notebook computers," said Bert McComas, principal analyst for Inquest Research. "The market needs an inexpensive, well-rounded processor with good multimedia performance. Rise offers these advantages, and adds extensive power management capabilities right from the start." About Rise Technology Company The mP6 logo is a registered trademark of Rise Technology Company. MMX™ is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other brands and products mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies.
Founded in 1993, Rise Technology Company is a worldwide supplier of x86 CPU solutions that are optimized for low-power multimedia notebook and desktop Basic PC systems.
The company produces x86 solutions that are also ideal for other x86-based systems such as Windows-based terminals, Windows-CE platforms and set-top boxes. Rise's mP6 family is designed to broaden the x86 CPU market by offering a well-balanced combination of price, performance, and power not already found in the x86 CPU market. Rise is headquartered in Santa Clara, California with offices located in Taipei and Hsin-Chu, Taiwan.